Zimbabwe News

Harare, 4 June 2012 -- In line with WHO’s call for people to adopt healthy lifestyles, WCO Zimbabwe held its annual wellness days for staff, their dependents, and partners at their Highlands complex.

Mutare, 14 June 2012 -- Zimbabwe’s young “blood heroes” were acknowledged and honored as the country joined the rest of the world in celebrating world blood donor day under the theme “Every Blood Donor is a Hero”.

This year’s commemorations were held at Sakubva 2 High School in Mutare. Sakubva 2 High School donated the highest number of blood units in the Manicaland province and nationally in 2011. For coming out tops, the school received a floating shield, certificate, and a top of the range PC and Color Printer.

Harare, 18 June 2012 -- The Honourable Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr. H. Madzorera, in conjunction with City Health Departments, UNICEF, WHO, and other partners, launched the National Immunization Days (NIDs) on 18th June in Harare.

NIDs are selected days when measles and polio vaccines as well as vitamin A supplements are given to children between the ages of 0 – 59 months and are extra doses which supplement and do not replace the doses received according to routine immunizations.

In this Issue:

• Innovative approaches used to reach the hard to reach during AVW
• Door to door strategy was used for both mobilization and vaccination
• Cellular networks used for information dissemination

Bi-Annual Newsletter of the Zimbabwe Country Office, Volume 1 Issue 1 Jan.-June 2012

Harare, 20 July 2012. This was said by the Honourable Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Henry Madzorera in a joint press conference he held with the WHO Representative for Zimbabwe, Dr Custodia Mandlhate, the UNICEF Representative Dr Peter Salama and the local and international media. This follows some media reports in the days following the National Immunization Days (NIDs) that some children were falling sick after immunization.

3 Aug. 2012, Mhondoro: World Breastfeeding week was launched in Mhondoro under the theme Understanding the past—Planning for the future. Celebrating 10 years of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. The event, which was attended by the Mhondoro community, UN agencies, and other players in child health and nutrition, aimed to celebrate the successes and achievements of the past 10 years and to call for action to bridge the remaining gaps in policy and programmes on breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding.

Wedza, 17 Sept. 2012 -- In line with the new global momentum towards the control, elimination and eradication of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs ) , Zimbabwe launched a mass drug administration against schistosomiasis (bilharzia ) and soil transmitted helminthes ( intestinal worms ) at a function held at Wedza High School.

The mass drug administration is the final phase of a process which started with a national prevalence survey in 2010, and the development of the master plan that began in 2011 and completed in 2012.

Harare, 17 Oct. 2012 -- Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating Global Handwashing Day at an event held at Zengeza High School in Chitungwiza. The event, which was held under the theme Help more children reach their 5th birthday was targeted at schoolchildren, because children are enthusiastic and open to new ideas and often act as agents of change by taking the “handwashing lessons” back into their homes and communities.

Harare, 12 Nov. 2012 -- Today the new WHO Representative to Zimbabwe, Dr David Okello presented his credentials to the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Simbarashe Mumbengegwi at his Munhumutapa Building offices.

31 May 2013 -- Today Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating World No Tobacco Day in an event held at Rutendo Hall in Mufakose, Harare. This commemoration comes when  Zimbabwe is working on ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and hoping to implement their obligations under the framework convention.